Proposing an agenda for state's new leaders
Published November 16, 2014
by Rob Schofield, NC Policy Watch, published in Durham Herald-Sun, November 15, 2014.
It’s one of the great conundrums of modern society: All around us, images of wealth, comfort, individual freedom and swiftly advancing technology tell a story of promise and progress. For millions and millions of people, life really is safer, freer, healthier and wealthier than ever before. And yet, as nearly all of us can sense, something is clearly amiss in this picture.
While millions live the lives that their grandparents hoped they’d enjoy, a much greater number remain stuck in place with few, if any, prospects of joining the party -- a fact made all the more poignant and vexing for the have-nots by the ease with which technology allows them to observe the lives of the haves.
Where once Americans prided themselves on the simple truth that any would-be Horatio Alger willing to work hard could “make it,” the hard truth in 2014 is that such mythology is just that: mythology. For millions of “haves,” wealth is the byproduct of education and opportunity at best and, often, at worse, mere inheritance and blind investment. Meanwhile, for the tens of millions of “have-nots,” dedication to multiple jobs, long hours and dedicated thrift is a ticket to mere survival and little more.
Sadly, there are few places in modern America in which this gap between the dream and the reality stand in sharper relief than the southern United States and, in particular, North Carolina. If this sounds like an exaggeration, check out the newest “State of the South” report from the Durham-based research outfit known as MDC.
As the recently released report ( “Building an infrastructure of opportunity for the next generation”) spells out in great detail, North Carolina is home to both some of the best and most hopeful and worst and most worrisome aspects of the 21st-century economy. The report puts it this way: “In much of today’s South, economic and demographic vibrancy exist side-by-side, as veritable next-door neighbors, with poverty, underemployment, educational disparities, and stagnant social mobility.”
And make no mistake; North Carolina is at the epicenter of this phenomenon -- especially when it comes to the central issue highlighted in the report -- the chances of young people to break out of poverty and into the middle class.
As MDC staffer Alyson Zandt recently explained, “The gap between business vitality and youth mobility is especially pronounced in North Carolina’s largest cities.” Despite remarkable growth and burgeoning prosperity in Raleigh and Charlotte, she notes, these areas are also home to rapid growth in poverty.
Moreover, despite clear signs that large numbers of the state’s young people are struggling to succeed, public investments in education and other critical public structures continue to ebb. As Zandt notes, “In North Carolina, K-12 public education spending declined by $855 per pupil from fiscal years 2008 to 2015.”
And so it is in the aftermath of the recent election that political leaders in North Carolina of all parties and ideologies must soon come to grips with a very fundamental question:
What kind of a state should North Carolina become? Should it be a state, as is the case in so much of the developing world and the old Soviet bloc, in which a majority of children realistically have no meaningful paths to pursue or chances of fulfilling their dreams or one, as used to be the case in much of the United States, in which virtually everyone has an opportunity to attain a middle class life?
Assuming that most North Carolinians of all ideologies and parties believe in the latter option, the only real question then becomes: How do we get there?
Let’s hope the people wrestling with such choices pay close attention to the “State of the South.” For while the report pays homage to both a strong market economy and political pragmatism in laying out the course it charts, there can be no doubt that, ultimately, its authors come down firmly on the side of intentional public solutions – what it calls “purposeful policies and systemic actions” in shaping the future and constructing an “infrastructure of opportunity.”
Without such an infrastructure, the report rightfully makes clear, most of the children of 2014 face a dim future as the adults of 2024, 2034 and 2044. In the aftermath of the latest election, we would all do well to recommit ourselves to doing whatever it takes to build that infrastructure.
Rob Schofield is the director of research at N.C. Policy Watch.
November 16, 2014 at 9:04 am
Richard Bunce says:
Your flaw is in assuming the government spending solves problems. That per student traditional government student spending declined slightly... and that is questionable in itself as it is just not growing as fast as student population grows and their should be efficiencies in serving a larger population... is not a guarantee of a less effective education system... it was already and remains highly ineffective. That NC Education Vouchers are about half that per student funding number and none of those school system officials/teachers are spending their time making excuses while the government education industrial complex does everything it can to kill any competition.
November 16, 2014 at 12:08 pm
Norm Kelly says:
N C Policy Watch describes itself as a 'progressive' organization. 'Progressive' is politically correct for 'socialist', big government, take from the group of hated individuals to give to the group of loved individuals.
So, a 'progressive'/socialist organization uses a 'progressive'/socialist organization to support their political agenda. Any surprises? Nope! Worth reading? More than likely NOT!
What can we determine about the rest of this post? 'The Poor' are only poor because of 'schemes' implemented by Republican pols/conservatives. 'The Poor' wouldn't be 'Poor' if only the schemes of the socialist party were allowed to be fully implemented, fully paid for by the hated group 'the wealthy'. Try asking ANYONE on the socialist side of the political argument to show proof that their schemes have any indication of success, and you will hear a lot of crickets chirping or absolutely no response at all. Kinda like their support for pre-K programs that show virtually ZERO impact by grade 3. Still, even though there is virtually zero impact, socialists continue to insist that not enough money is spent on the schemes, only more money will allow the impact to be felt beyond grade 3, and conservatives only oppose spending more on these schemes because they HATE 'the poor'!
I guess I'll waste more time reading the socialist drivel. Probably not all of it as I tire of drivel, mistruths, unsupported theorizing, and socialist blather.
'How do we get there?' An EXTREMELY important question for every socialist out there! A question that should be asked of EVERY pol and especially pushed hard to every demon schemer out there. Before you vote for a pol, ask them how they hope to achieve their goal. If their scheme involves stealing money from one group to give to another group, expect them to be endorsed by the N&D, and RUN from them quickly. The only thing this accomplishes is to PUNISH success, make it harder for 'the poor' to move out of poverty. Why? Because when you penalize success, it's harder for someone to move in the successful group. When government puts roadblocks in your way, when government promises to penalize you for making more money than THEY believe you should be allowed to make, YOUR path to success becomes HARDER not EASIER. When was the last time you heard of someone receiving government subsistence payments actually using this scheme to take themselves out of poverty? Is it possible to use government subsistence payments to propel yourself out of poverty? If the answer were YES, then government subsistence payments would be GOING DOWN rather than GOING UP. We'd have fewer people on government subsistence schemes as more money was spent by the central planner socialists. What we have instead is more money being spent on socialist schemes and more people receiving socialist subsistence payments, but more people in poverty. Ask yourself, is there a correlation between central planner schemes, tax & spend, deficits, increased government subsistence payments AND the poverty rate? Stop relying on socialists for your information and do YOUR OWN RESEARCH. It's not that hard. How many people on government subsistence payment schemes have gotten themselves out of poverty BECAUSE of government subsistence schemes? How is the stupidity of the American voter helping YOU? How is 'tortured language' in central planner schemes working out for YOU? How is constantly telling lies to the American people helping YOU? How is turning millions of ILLEGAL ALIENS into American citizens going to HELP YOU? How will it INCREASE individual incomes? Who benefits? Besides the central planners?
It's time to dismiss socialist blatherings and EDUCATE YOURSELF so you can take CARE OF YOURSELF! Who is more important in life: You and your family OR the central planners? The central planners are looking out for themselves. Shouldn't you be looking out for YOURSELF!? The way to take care of yourself is to educate yourself. Real education, not what the socialists deem education. And when you become 'selfish' enough to take care of yourself & worry about making yourself successful, you'll have more disposable income to make a real impact on social issues. Who is able to donate more money to organizations that actually HELP people become self-sufficient, 'the beloved poor' or 'the hated rich'? If you were to take responsibility for yourself, make yourself successful, earn a huge income, would you be selfish or would you donate more to actually HELP someone else help themselves become successful? Demons are typically very selfish people, who donate miniscule amounts to actually help others. Demons want to TAKE from you in order to GIVE to those they want to take advantage of. Demons are NOT interested in HELPING people become successful, they are interested in keeping people VOTING FOR THEM! So, violate the socialist schemes on YOUR OWN, become successful, donate to charities that YOU want to support, donate to Individuals & Families that YOU know need help, and do something POSITIVE for your community. Stop relying on socialist schemes that are failures BEFORE they start. It's not that hard for you to take action. It's not the wealthy that are tightwads when it comes to charities, it's generally libs/demons/socialists who donate little of their own money/time and want to FORCE you to donate your money to THEIR causes. Please, I've shown you proof of the failures of the demons/socialists, why don't you take time to show proof of success on the part of your favorite socialist scheme. Do some homework, prove me wrong. I won't hold my breath. Start with Obamacancer if you wish, since that is such a beloved socialist scheme where there is evidence of it's 'success'.
